21 replies to this topic

[Mid-life Crisis]

Hi Guys, I have an LX Hatch that I am restoring and going to drop an LS2 Engine into it. AS a part the engineering requirements I have been told by the Engineer that I need at least 220mm Brakes. I really want to put the old school HotWires (like the Pic below) on it. I was thinking of buying the Rod shop new front end with the 220mm Willowwood break set up but they have advised me that the Rim Size would have to be at least 16inch. Hotwires only seem to come 15 and 17... I was hoping to get 8 inch width all around

 

Question is... can I get 17 by 8 on an unflared Hatch??? or alternately another set up that will satisfy the engineer

 

 

 

[rexy]

I assume the 220 is a typo?

You can fit 15 inch hotwires over the Hoppers/UPC kits which are 287mm

[Mid-life Crisis]

Yes it was a typo.... should have been 320..... Wilwood 

[yel327]

On my Hilux with 338mm rotors the minimum alloy wheel size that fits is 17”. So with 320mm and the right offset you might scrape 16”. Different car I know but may still be close. I’m struggling with 15” steel rims on the 287mm rotors on my HK!

I used to run 8” rims on the back of my standard bodied LX hatchback with 265/50/14 tyres. Arches were cut and the tyres did scrape the shock tower on hard cornering and a road bump.

Edited by yel327, 05 February 2021 - 02:37 PM.

[Mid-life Crisis]

Would I get 15 Inch Rims over 280mm Rotors with the Wilwood Calipers

Edited by Mid-life Crisis, 05 February 2021 - 03:22 PM.

[yel327]

On the Rodtech front end I have it has AUII rotors and calipers which I think are the 280mm ones. Some 15” steel just clear the calipers, alloy don’t. But some might, depends on backspace. Not sure about Wilwood calipers. I never went for them as my Engineer told me he wouldn’t pass them except for one particular one. I’m only running 15x6 though.

[Mid-life Crisis]

thanks Yel, are you running an LS2??

Edited by Mid-life Crisis, 05 February 2021 - 04:57 PM.

[yel327]

No, it’s a HK V8 GTS. Nothing but a SBC or BBC will do! In this case it will be a stroked 350 so a 377 (or 385 (6.2L) if you take into account the 40 thou over bore. Engineer is happy with the AUII fronts and HQ-WB drums on the back. With injection and hydraulic roller cam and modern heads it’ll probably be similar to a stock LS3, just torquier at lower rpm.

[Cook]

Hi David.  On my unflared hatch I am running Hoppers 290mm kit with 17 X 7 on the front (215/40's) which aren't that big. I was looking for driveability (manual steering) as well as looks so I suspect you could get somewhat bigger but the issue is clearance of the outer guard on turning.  I had to have the guard spread.  Running 17x8's on the back with 245/40's and again could possibly go a bit bigger but will see once the car is at full weight etc.  Only had to roll the guards a bit and grind a bit off the inner seem of the wheel well.  Cheers Ron

[Mid-life Crisis]

Hi David.  On my unflared hatch I am running Hoppers 290mm kit with 17 X 7 on the front (215/40's) which aren't that big. I was looking for driveability (manual steering) as well as looks so I suspect you could get somewhat bigger but the issue is clearance of the outer guard on turning.  I had to have the guard spread.  Running 17x8's on the back with 245/40's and again could possibly go a bit bigger but will see once the car is at full weight etc.  Only had to roll the guards a bit and grind a bit off the inner seem of the wheel well.  Cheers Ron

Thanks Ron,

 

Did you go 17's for the clearance on the calipers, or just looks. I was hoping to stick with 15's if possible but the engineer wants the bigger brakes.... at least 290mm. 

Edited by Mid-life Crisis, 06 February 2021 - 09:28 AM.

[Cook]

It was some years ago now David and the main reason I needed to decide on them was because I wanted to sort out my driveline and needed to settle on wheels for the diff measurement.  I think it was a bit of both but I think I was told (rightly or wrongly) that there were less 15" wheel /tyre combos than 17" and I was certainly going to run bigger brakes. I also decided to run with Commodore stud pattern for the same reason (rightly or wrongly).  I do like the look of 17" if you can get the stance right on unflared (and I'm hoping I have).  Cheers Ron

[mick_in_oz]

I have VT Discs 297mm? with Nissan Skyline calipers inside steel 15" Pontiac Rally-II's, fits nice with some room.

 

As for the Wilwoods, you better check with the Rod Shop on the size, as Wilwood don't actually do a 320mm disc, or at least its not listed on the website, and I ordered the 320mm Rear Kit for a Hot Rod project and it was actually 310mm, this I expected, and it turned out I was right. They actually fit inside my 15" Alloy wheels, American Racing Hopster, with a nice amount of clearance, but there certainly ain't no spare room for anything bigger.

[Heath]

I can fit my ORIGINAL 15x10" Hotwires over those "320mm" (they aren't 320mm O.D.!) Wilwoods, no worries.

[Mid-life Crisis]

I can fit my ORIGINAL 15x10" Hotwires over those "320mm" (they aren't 320mm O.D.!) Wilwoods, no worries.

Thanks Heath, I assume that the rim width has no impact. I was only going for 8" .... do you happen to know the OD with calipers fitted...?... If not not a problen I will contact the Rod shop for the dimensions, since they sell them

[Heath]

In normal situations, wheel width has no impact, correct.

(there are some weird barrels like the 12" wide hoops that Neales Wheels use on Hotwires where it IS a problem, but yeah generally no difference)

 

Of course, different wheels have different I.D.'s and different shapes at the back. A reverse drop-out wheel for example is terrible for brake clearance. A more conventional "step-lip" with the drop-out towards the front is the better option for brake clearance (and looks far more appropriate on an old car / better on any car IMO). With Simmons, for example, the fasteners that hold the centre into the hoops are an issue, these could be re-worked (counter-sunk etc. etc.) or you could make a nice hubcentric spacer to give it a 'BBK' type shape (changing the offset to be more negative, but maybe sacrificing a bit of dish to get there).

 

I don't think you need to phone the Rod Shop, this is on their website.

Edited by Heath, 08 February 2021 - 08:40 AM.

[Mid-life Crisis]

Heath
Thanks for taking the time to respond Heath. That diagram is exactly what I needed. I obviously didn't look hard enough

[Mid-life Crisis]

Just rang Chris Neale and he measured the inside diameter of the 15 inch at 350 mm , looks like the 320 mm won't fit...

[Heath]

Could you clarify... Are you talking about:

 

1) The fabricated Hotwires that Neale Wheels step up to 15"?

2) Or the new Chinese made things (with the filleted spokes and the tapered nut seats) you posted in the first photo?

 

I was going to orders some fatties from Neales and they said theirs (10"s, not 12"s which is what I wanted) would work over a radius of 182mm, so I'd have assumed their 8"s certainly would have no issue. I'm actually pretty surprised to read this!

Edited by Heath, 08 February 2021 - 02:34 PM.

[Mid-life Crisis]

I spoke directly to Chris Neal and he went and measured it while I was on the phone. So i assumed he didn't have the Chinese Knockoffs...

 

Going by the Wilwood Diagarm wold need to be at least 360mm

 

If I need to go to 17's can you get them under the wheel well unflared without any Modification???

Edited by Mid-life Crisis, 08 February 2021 - 04:22 PM.

[neglectedtorana]

There is a Neales wheels in QLD run by Chris Neale, he sells the OS Performance wheels and hotwires and used to own Neales wheels in Sydney but it was sold a few years ago

The current Neales wheels in Sydney makes custom hotwires in many sizes and also does lots of repair work

Heath, what wheels do you like?
Most stuff I find is made in China or similar

[Heath]

Whoops, I missed the replies in this thread.

 

When I'm talking about "Neale Wheels" I mean:

https://www.facebook.com/NealeWheels/
I guess no one who works there is called 'Neale' any more... but yeah they make those fuc king sweeeeeet custom sized Hotwires using reclaimed centres. They are distinguishable because you can see a machined edge on the outer section of the wheel centre (just before it meets the barrel).

 

The Chris Neale / OS Performance / Wheel Revolution affair seems to be responsible for the Chinese made Hotwire wheels with the fillets that soften the edges between all the spokes. Obviously very distinguishable compared to the originals (but those fillets could be filed out). They have three set 15" castings which are 7", 8", and 10" wide (plus they do a range in 17"), very sharp & square sections on the dish, and the wheels are cast, machined, and clear coated before they come to Australia - They might have a PCD drilled in and the hub face machined (within a limited range) on the back of the wheel to suit the offset ordered locally before shipping.

 

Regarding what wheels I like... well when I'm looking for a project car I look at old shitboxes in the classifieds.

When I'm looking for wheels, the first thing I do is avoid Commodore pattern like the plague and then I look at in the same area. Yahoo Japan, some American sites, etc.

 

I'm a bit of an elitist with brandnames and stuff, so I personally don't like anything Chinese. My little collection includes some BBS wheels, some Jongbloeds, some very old Speed Star Racing wheels, some more modern SSR step lip 19"s, some WORKs, some Panasports, some American Racing Daisies, some Dragways, and some original 15x10" Aunger Hotwires - they are a real gem. 

 

If you can't be stuffed looking for good old wheels, you could see what Barrel Bros can do for you (they're supplying & restoring/building a set for my Torana currently), or Image Wheels in the U.K. make really nice NEW wheels.

https://www.imagewhe...t-alloy-wheels/

[Ice]

Gee Heath some of those wheels on that site are pretty fugly 

Hatchbacks and Hotwires go hand in hand imho